A single anchor development in the neighborhood, like this conceptual drawing to illustrate building height limits of up to 85 feet, could change the community and spark economic growth. Buildings around the hospitals could go as high as 150 feet. (Courtesy of City of Tacoma)
City planners are at the starting line of developing zoning rules and standards for Tacoma's Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood with the notion that the area will be one of the city's hot spots for development.
The whole process, which springboards off existing plans, will take between a year and 18 months of hearings, reports, drafts and final review for what will eventually be a vision of the community for residents, developers and public agencies to coordinate efforts.
The shared vision is not only important for the neighborhood's identity but for the city as a whole since MLK is listed as one of Tacoma's 17 mixed-use centers that will likely be the home for many of the new jobs and residents as the city continues to grow as projected by the Puget Sound Regional Council. The Regional Council estimated 60,000 new jobs and 70,000 new residents projected to come to Tacoma in the next 15 or so years. A Vision 2040 plan estimates larger growth than that, with 127,000 new residents and 97,000 new jobs by 2040.
The plan seeks to define neighborhood needs, characteristics and opportunities now as a way to plan for that growth, which is driving similar neighborhood plans around the city. But MLK gets some special attention because of its proximity to downtown, its stock of available redevelopment sites and its mix of commercial, residential and social services. It is projected to see 10 million square feet of new development under the current growth projections. The area has just 5.5 million of home and commercial space currently. Some of that growth is already underway, namely Community Health Care's $23 million Hilltop Regional Health Center at 1202 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, which is set to open in 2014.
While the emergence of the term "medical mile" as a way to describe the likely candidates for new developments in the neighborhood alongside Franciscan Health System's complex at one end and MultiCare's complex on the other may seem like a catchy phrase to some, others fear new developments of medical offices could come at a cost of open space, small shops and neighborhood amenities.
"I don't really know if the community is ready to accept that," said Hilltop Business District President Eric Crittendon.
Crittendon is a Realtor at John L. Scott as well as a property owner in the neighborhood. He said some residents worry that the projected flood of commercial developments slated under the city's projections could translate into troubles for people who live there.
The lead city planner on the project, Brian Boudet, said the current study is meant to address those concerns with the recognition that MLK is a residential neighborhood for approximately 3,000 residents as well as 12,000 jobs. Those numbers are projected to jump to 13,000 residents and 22,000 jobs in the coming decades. The plan seeks to prepare for that growth by being proactive and looking at the infrastructural changes needed to accommodate new jobs and residents on the horizon. Those issues involve upgrading of power, water and sewer lines to handle higher densities than the current stock of pipes and overhead wires can handle, for example, but also involve transportation issues such as potentially extending light rail to the area.
"That is a major discussion," he said.
This plan takes the current zoning rules and looks at the neighborhood as if it reached full capacity under those codes as a way to determine infrastructure needs such as road and utility improvements as well as community assets such as parks and businesses. Of course, a section of the plan will outline ways to actually pay for these neighborhood upgrades.
The planning process is being funded through a $100,000 grant from the state's Department of Commerce and some $250,000 from Tacoma in the form of staff time. The preliminary project goals and policies will be available this summer with a draft environmental impact statement ready for review in the fall.
"From our perspective, this is important work," said Franciscan Health System spokesman Gale Robinette, noting that about a third of the neighborhood's employment has ties to its medical operations. "St. Joseph Medical Center has been in the neighborhood since 1891. We plan to be here for the next century and beyond. This is our home."
